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ADES Gets Its First Jack-Up Contract Offshore Nigeria
Saudi oil and gas drilling contractor ADES Holding has secured a $21.8 million drilling contract with Brittania-U for its Admarine 504 jack-up drilling rig, marking its first entry to the Nigerian offshore oil and gas sector.ADES and Admarine 504’s current client in Saudi Arabia have mutually agreed to suspend the rig’s operation in the country, while retaining the remaining backlog value with the group’s client by way of extending the original term of the temporarily suspended contract.Admarine 504 will be mobilized from the Middle East to West Africa in the first quarter of 2025, as the agreed suspension mechanism offers enough flexibility for the suspended rig to complete new deployments before resuming work in Saudi Arabia post suspension.Operations of the rig to be jointly handled by ADES and Valiant Offshore Contractors (in-country partner) under a charter structure, where ADES will provide the rig along with its senior crew and relevant management systems to Valiant against a charter fee.In return, Valiant shall fulfill its drilling obligations under its contract with Brittania-U.The contract is to drill and complete six wells within an estimated duration of 365 days, and is valued at $21.8 million, which represents a percentage from the drilling contract between Brittania-U and Valiant.“Following our successful expansion over the past couple of years into India and Southeast Asia, we are now making our first foray into West Africa with this new award in Nigeria, a country with high oil and gas potential and strong demand for drilling rigs in the coming years, particularly in the offshore jack-up segment.“This award is an important milestone in our global expansion journey, with West Africa and Southeast Asia together representing key growth geographies for ADES as we diversify our geographical footprint and capitalize on emerging opportunities in these undersupplied markets.”“Meanwhile in our home market of Saudi Arabia, we continue to demonstrate agility with a client-centric approach – aligning with our client’s strategic needs and objectives – while leveraging newly afforded capacities to pursue attractive opportunities in existing and new markets. In that regard, the group has successfully secured new awards for four of the five previously suspended rigs in record time, and we are confident in the Group’s ability to redeploy the remaining rig during the year,” said Mohamed Farouk, CEO of ADES Holding.
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United States dollar posts most significant weekly loss given that November 2023 on tariff angst
The U.S. dollar moved on Friday and was set for its most significant weekly loss in over a year after President Donald Trump recommended a softer stance on tariffs versus China, adding to uncertainty about the trade policy that kept equity markets on edge. Trump told Fox News on Thursday his current conversation with President Xi Jinping got along and he thought he might reach a trade deal with China. We have one huge power over China, and that's tariffs, and they don't desire them, and I 'd rather not need to use it, but it's a tremendous power over China, he said. The U.S. dollar dropped as much as 0.8% versus a. basket of currencies on Friday, before narrowing losses at the. end of the day to be down 0.65%. However it still had its biggest. weekly loss considering that November 2023, having lost 1.8% considering that Monday. Some analysts warned that the dollar could rise again if the. U.S. tariff and rates of interest policies moved. We think that the dollar has further to climb up, said Simon. MacAdam, deputy chief international financial expert at Capital Economics. Its appreciation so far has actually shown both the strength of. the economic data in the U.S. relative to peer economies and. financiers' evaluation of Trump's policies, both of which have. contributed to a shift in rates of interest differentials that has. been beneficial to the dollar. The MSCI index for world stocks ended bit. changed, while stocks on Wall Street were uninspired. The S&P. 500 index was down 0.3%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average. lost 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite shed 0.5%. China's stock markets and currency rallied on the back of. Trump's comments, leaving the blue chip index up 0.8%. and the yuan enhanced against the dollar, which. fell 0.7% to 7.239 in the overseas market. Oil costs stabilised and pared losses that were sustained. after Trump said he will be asking Saudi Arabia and OPEC to. lower oil costs. U.S. unrefined futures edged greater to $74.66 a barrel. and Brent crude was up 0.3% at $78.50. LOW OIL PRICE BENEFITS Amelie Derambure, senior multi-asset portfolio manager at. Amundi in Paris, stated Trump's pro-America policies require lower. oil costs. These kinds of policies might likewise benefit other gamers in. the world, like Europe for example, if we have a lower oil. cost that's going to benefit Europe too-- so at last there. is something that he wishes to carry out that is not harmful. to Europe, she said. It shows that he's willing to negotiate and he wishes to be. perhaps a bit more subtle this time. European stocks reflected this higher optimism. The STOXX. 600 at first increased 0.3% on the day, driven by a burst. higher in high-end products merchants after solid profits from. Burberry. It pulled back by midday in New York to be. flat. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink informed a panel at the World Economic. Forum in Davos that it could be time to start purchasing. Europe once again. There's excessive pessimism on Europe, he said during a. panel debate on the international economic outlook. I believe it's. most likely time to be investing back into Europe, he said, including. there was still advance to be made in locations such as capital. markets union. Studies earlier on Friday revealed euro zone businesses saw a. modest return to growth at the start of the brand-new year. In currency markets, the yen gained 0.2% versus. the dollar to 155.7 after the Bank of Japan raised interest. rates to their highest considering that the 2008 worldwide monetary crisis. BOJ Guv Kazuo Ueda stated the central bank will keep. raising rates of interest as wage and price increases expand,. adding that there was scope to rise borrowing expenses even more. before they reach levels considered neutral to the economy. Treasury yields, which have actually pulled away from January's highs. as a few of the fret about a renewed spike in inflation has. faded, were consistent on Friday. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield edged lower to. 4.6194%, below recently's 14-month high of 4.809%. The European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve are because of. satisfy next week as policymakers digest early relocations of the Trump. administration. The Fed is anticipated to keep rates of interest on hold however the. larger story unfolding will be how the central bank faces. early moves by Trump that are likely to form the economy this. year, including needs the Fed continue lowering borrowing. costs.
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Trump administration asks Supreme Court to pause cases as it reassesses policy
President Donald Trump's. administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to put on. hold prepared arguments in a bid by fuel manufacturers to challenge. California's standards for automobile emissions and electric automobiles. under a federal air contamination law. The brand-new Republican administration likewise made comparable requests in. three other cases involving the actions of federal companies,. giving an early sign that it will take a fresh appearance at a. number of legal concerns before the court and possibly change. positions from Trump's Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. The expected changes in the government's position may be a. better ideological suitable for the Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative. bulk, that includes three justices appointed by Trump. The conflict over California automobile requirements centers on an. exception given to that state in 2022 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency throughout Biden's presidency to. nationwide vehicle emission standards set by the firm under the. landmark Clean Air Act anti-pollution law. Though states and towns are normally preempted. from enacting their own limits, Congress let the EPA waive the. preemption rule to allow California to set particular guidelines. that are stricter than federal requirements. In asking the Supreme Court to stop briefly the case, Performing. Lawyer General Sarah Harris said in a filing, After the. modification in administration, EPA's acting administrator has. determined that the firm should reassess the basis for and. strength of the 2022 reinstatement choice. The EPA's action renewed a waiver for California to set. its own tailpipe emissions limitations and zero-emission vehicle. mandate through 2025, reversing a 2019 choice during Trump's. initially term in office rescinding the waiver. Valero's Diamond Option Energy and related. groups challenged the reinstatement of California's waiver,. arguing that the choice exceeded the EPA's power under the. Clean Air Act and inflicted harm on their bottom line by. reducing need for liquid fuels. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Circuit threw out the lawsuits, finding that Valero and the. states did not have the essential legal standing to bring their. claims. Harris told the Supreme Court that the EPA's reassessment of. the matter might prevent the requirement for this court to identify. whether the challengers have legal standing. The Supreme Court has taken a hesitant view towards. extensive authority for federal regulatory agencies, and has. restricted the powers of the EPA in some essential rulings in. recent years. In June, the court blocked the EPA's Good Next-door neighbor rule intended. at minimizing ozone emissions that might get worse air contamination in. surrounding states. In 2023, the court hobbled the EPA's power. to protect wetlands and fight water pollution. In 2022, it. enforced limits on the agency's authority under the Clean Air Act. to minimize coal- and gas-fired power plant carbon emissions. On Monday, his very first day back in workplace, Trump stated in an. executive order that he was seeking the repeal of a new waiver. given to California in December by the EPA enabling the state. to end the sale of gasoline-only lorries by 2035. That guideline has. been adopted by 11 other states. Trump said the EPA should terminate where proper,. state emissions waivers that operate to restrict sales of. gasoline-powered autos. Legal professionals anticipate Trump's administration to change. position in a number of major cases at the court, consisting of a. closely saw dispute including Tennessee's ban on. gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors and one. involving a federal guideline targeting mainly untraceable. guns called ghost weapons.
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Trump administration asks Supreme Court to stop briefly cases as it reassesses policy
President Donald Trump's. administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to place on. hold prepared arguments in a quote by fuel manufacturers to challenge. California's requirements for car emissions and electric vehicles. under a federal air pollution law. The brand-new Republican politician administration likewise made similar demands in. three other cases involving the actions of federal firms,. providing an early indication that it will take a fresh look at a. variety of legal concerns before the court and possibly change. positions from Trump's Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. The anticipated modifications in the federal government's position might be a. closer ideological fit for the Supreme Court's 6-3 conservative. majority, which includes three justices appointed by Trump. The dispute over California car standards centers on an. exception granted to that state in 2022 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during Biden's presidency to. national vehicle emission standards set by the agency under the. landmark Clean Air Act anti-pollution law. Though states and towns are generally preempted. from enacting their own limitations, Congress let the EPA waive the. preemption rule to enable California to set specific policies. that are stricter than federal requirements. In asking the Supreme Court to stop briefly the case, Performing. Solicitor General Sarah Harris said in a filing, After the. modification in administration, EPA's acting administrator has. figured out that the firm needs to reassess the basis for and. stability of the 2022 reinstatement decision. The EPA's action renewed a waiver for California to set. its own tailpipe emissions limitations and zero-emission car. mandate through 2025, reversing a 2019 decision throughout Trump's. initially term in office rescinding the waiver. Valero's Diamond Alternative Energy and related. groups challenged the reinstatement of California's waiver,. arguing that the choice exceeded the EPA's power under the. Clean Air Act and inflicted damage on their bottom line by. decreasing demand for liquid fuels. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Circuit threw out the suits, finding that Valero and the. states lacked the required legal standing to bring their. claims. Harrison told the Supreme Court that the EPA's reassessment. of the matter could prevent the requirement for this court to. identify whether the challengers have legal standing. The Supreme Court has actually taken a hesitant view towards. expansive authority for federal regulative agencies, and has. restricted the powers of the EPA in some crucial judgments in. recent years. In June, the court obstructed the EPA's Great Next-door neighbor guideline intended. at decreasing ozone emissions that may get worse air contamination in. surrounding states. In 2023, the court hobbled the EPA's power. to protect wetlands and battle water pollution. In 2022, it. enforced limitations on the firm's authority under the Clean Air Act. to decrease coal- and gas-fired power plant carbon emissions. On Monday, his very first day back in workplace, Trump said in an. executive order that he was looking for the repeal of a new waiver. approved to California in December by the EPA enabling the state. to end the sale of gasoline-only automobiles by 2035. That guideline has. been adopted by 11 other states. Trump said the EPA must terminate where suitable,. state emissions waivers that operate to limit sales of. gasoline-powered vehicles.
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Trump administration halts environmental litigation, sidelines legal representatives, sources state
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has actually halted all pending ecological litigation and reassigned four career Justice Department attorneys concentrated on environmental issues, three sources familiar with the matter informed Reuters on Friday. The decision to move the four officials, who are not political appointees, from managing the natural deposits, environmental enforcement, appellate and ecological crimes sections is the most recent in a string of comparable actions as the brand-new Republican administration shakes up the federal government's 2.2 million-strong labor force. The department's Environment and Natural Resources Division is accountable for bringing criminal and civil cases related to air and water contamination, animal well-being and public security, as well as protecting in court federal government firms such as the Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy. The 4 section chiefs were told in an email late Thursday they have 15 days to accept the brand-new project to a freshly produced Sanctuary City Working Group or face negative repercussions, the sources told Reuters. A Justice Department representative declined to comment. The sources were approved privacy because they are not authorized to speak with the media. The sources said the reassigned officials have actually not been provided further information about their new assignments. Trump has long dismissed environment change as a scam, vowed to cut policy and in his very first day in workplace withdrew the U.S. from the Paris environment treaty. Four other Justice Department staff members who dealt with environmental justice issues were also placed on paid administrative leave today, four sources knowledgeable about the matter stated. The 4 officials placed on leave include Cynthia Ferguson, who led the ecological justice workplace, and Lana Pettus, a. district attorney who dealt with some high-profile cases such as the. 2015 criminal Tidy Water Act case against Duke Energy. The Trump administration today ordered anyone in the. federal government on diversity, equity and addition concerns to. be placed on leave, and also required the elimination of any. workplace or position involving ecological justice. Ferguson and Pettus might not be immediately grabbed. remark. The order to freeze all pending ecological policy was. released to employees on Thursday morning, the sources stated. It resembles another memo released previously in the week to. the Civil Rights Department which also halted all litigation,. consisting of efforts to finalize court-approved settlements with. Minneapolis and Louisville to address civil liberties abuses by the. police.
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Wall St slips with information and profits mixed ahead of Fed week
Wall Street's main indexes closed lower on Friday as financiers stepped back while they absorbed a. mixed bag of economic data and earnings reports and gotten ready for. a week filled with economic releases and a Federal Reserve. meeting. The technology sector was the greatest drag on. the market as megacap stocks including Nvidia reversed. after rallying sharply earlier in the week. The housing market information was hotter than anticipated, while an. S&P Global study revealed organization activity slowing to a. nine-month low in January as prices rose. Nevertheless, companies. reported increased employing, supporting the Federal Reserve's. cautious technique to monetary policy this year. The University of Michigan's final quote on customer. belief dropped to 71.1 from a previous price quote of 73.2. At the end of a reasonably light week for data, traders were. wagering the Fed would keep borrowing costs the same at its Jan. 28-29 conference and expect its first rate cut in June, the latest. data from CME Group's FedWatch tool revealed. It really boils down to some mixed economics and revenues. news, said Scott Helfstein, head of investment technique at ETF. company Worldwide X. Financiers are bracing for next week's slew of crucial inflation. and economic development data in addition to the Fed conference, while. waiting for policy updates from the Trump administration. There is anticipation of a truly huge news week ahead. And. there is sticking around policy uncertainty with the brand-new. administration's very first week on the job, which is most likely to. continue for the next couple of weeks, he stated. Financiers fret that U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed. tariffs might intensify inflationary pressures and sluggish Fed. rate cuts, after he described trade policy several times this. week without offering concrete details of his strategies. Trump has actually said tariffs on Mexico, Canada, China and the. European Union could be announced on Feb. 1, but analysts state. major strategies could be revealed on April 1. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 lost 17.48. points, or 0.29%, to end at 6,101.23 points, while the Nasdaq. Composite lost 101.78 points, or 0.51%, to 19,951.90. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 146.14 points, or. 0.33%, to 44,418.93. On a weekly basis, the indexes were looking at their. 2nd straight week of advances. The benchmark S&P 500 had ended Thursday with a. record closing high for the very first time considering that early December. after Trump required taxes, oil rates and rates of interest to. be lowered throughout his first worldwide appearance this term. at the World Economic Online Forum in Davos, Switzerland. On Wednesday the market had been bolstered by a sharp rally. in technology stocks. However on Friday tech was the weakest sector,. with a high sell-off in chip maker Texas Instruments,. which forecast a first-quarter earnings listed below Street quotes as. it comes to grips with an inventory accumulation in its key automotive and. commercial markets. Elsewhere in profits, American Express reported a. 12% dive in fourth-quarter revenue. Its shares, nevertheless, fell. greatly to weigh on the blue-chip Dow. Likewise dragging on the Dow was Boeing, which lost. ground after the planemaker warned of a fourth-quarter loss of. about $4 billion. Boeing is due to report outcomes on Tuesday. Verizon shares increased after the cellphone service. provider reported higher-than-expected quarterly customer. additions.
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How billionaire Caltagirone might affect Italy's banking M&A wave
Italian billionaire Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone has actually become a leading player in the reshaping of Italy's monetary sector that is currently under way. FIGHTS IN GENERALI AND MEDIOBANCA Caltagirone in 2015 broadened his financial investments in Italy's. financial sector and is now a crucial investor in bailed-out bank. Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) and fund manager Anima. Holding. On Friday MPS introduced a surprise 13.3 billion euro. all-share deal to purchase merchant bank Mediobanca, in. which over the last five years Caltagirone has actually become the. second-biggest financier. He is the third-largest shareholder in Italy's leading insurance provider. Generali, with a 6.9% stake. Mediobanca is the top. financier in Generali with a 13% stake. Caltagirone has repeatedly complained that Mediobanca applies. excessive impact on Generali through the board and a. governance system which enables outgoing directors to name their. followers. As a long-standing financier and board member at Generali, in. 2022 he and late fellow billionaire Leonardo Del Vecchio looked for. in vain to oust CEO Philippe Donnet. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's conservative federal government has. authorized contested business governance changes promoted by. Caltagirone, and criticised by fund supervisors, which tighten the. terms under which a company's outgoing board can file a list of. followers. Donnet's term turns up for renewal in the spring and he is. expected to be put forward for another mandate backed by. Mediobanca. WHAT IS HIS ROLE IN ITALIAN BANKING DEBT CONSOLIDATION? Caltagirone's holdings potentially pit him versus UniCredit. CEO Andrea Orcel who in November launched a buyout. offer for Banco BPM, quickly after BPM had actually introduced. its own quote for Anima and bought a 5% stake in MPS. The Treasury in Rome has long favoured combining BPM with. MPS, which both partner with Anima, and constructing a core of. long-lasting investors as it re-privatises the Siena-based bank. it saved in 2017, sources have actually said. Before UniCredit overthrew Rome's plans, Caltagirone, with a. 5% stake in MPS, a 5.3% Anima holding, and 2% of BPM, looked set. to become a substantial shareholder in the combined entity. Caltagirone in December called 2 representatives to the MPS. board, including his boy Alessandro. WHO IS CALTAGIRONE? An Italian business owner with interests in building and construction, the. cement market, realty, publishing and financing,. Caltagirone was born in Rome on March 2, 1943 to a family of. Sicilian descent. According to Forbes' 2024 wealth ranking, Caltagirone is. Italy's 10th richest person with an estimated wealth of 5.6. billion euros ($ 5.9 billion). He owns Rome-based everyday Il Messaggero, Italy's. eighth-largest newspaper by circulation, which is broadly. encouraging of Meloni's government, and several regional. newspapers. Regardless of his wealth and impact, Caltagirone keeps a. reasonably low profile and rarely offers media interviews. He started out by reviving his late daddy's building. business alongside his two bros and a cousin. He broadened in. the 1980s with the acquisition of Vianini Group, a Milan-listed. cement and facilities company. His cement company Cementir, listed on the Italian. Stock Exchange, has an existence in 18 countries with 3,000. staff members worldwide. It is the largest cement producer in. Denmark, the third-largest in Belgium and amongst the main. international grey cement operators in Turkey. Caltagirone has 3 children - Francesco, Alessandro and. Azzurra - all involved in his operations, but no designated. successors.
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China's HongShan purchases Marshall Group stake in $1.15 bln deal as Telia offers
HongShan Capital Group (HSG) stated on Friday it has actually struck an offer to acquire a. majority stake in Marshall Group in a deal valuing the. Stockholmbased audio devices maker at 1.1 billion euros. ($ 1.15 billion). Swedish telecom group Telia said independently it. has consented to sell its 9.6% stake in Marshall Group to HongShan. for 1.15 billion Swedish crowns ($ 105 million). The transaction, subject to regulative approvals, would mark. the Chinese equity capital giant's biggest financial investment in. Europe, HongShan stated in a declaration on Friday. After the deal, the founder Marshall household will. keep over 20% of the company whose guitar amplifiers have been. popular among renowned artists consisting of Eric Clapton. Other. shareholders Altor, Time for Growth and Zenith VC have likewise. accepted offer their stakes, according to the declaration. The stake acquisition underscores HongShan's continued. dealmaking appetite in Europe, contributing to a portfolio that. includes French designer brand AMI Paris and British online bank. Monzo. The firm, previously called Sequoia China, established its workplace. in London last year to use late-stage and buyout deal. chances in Europe. The office, HongShan's second overseas. office after Singapore, concentrates on the consumer, energy and. health care sectors in the region. Widely deemed a bellwether for Chinese tech financial investment,. HongShan was founded in 2005 by former lender and entrepreneur. Neil Shen, now among China's best-known venture capitalists. As an early investor in top Chinese tech companies such as. Alibaba, HongShan has more than 1,500 portfolio financial investments. consisting of TikTok owner ByteDance and handles more than $55. billion in properties. It became an independent firm in 2015 after being spun off. from U.S. venture capital heavyweight Sequoia to better browse. economic and geopolitical obstacles. HongShan stated it prepares to work with the starting family and. management team to more bolster the Marshall brand and. facilitate its growth. We aim to assist bring Marshall's exceptional items to. a lot more clients globally, stated Taro Niggemann, HongShan's. handling director for Europe. Marshall, understood for its fashionable earphones and phase music. equipment, has a presence in more than 90 markets, with China. being among its crucial markets alongside the Nordic nations. The business more than doubled its profits from 2020 to 2024,. reaching about 400 million euros.
Moldova's separatist region says gas running out
The leader of Moldova's. separatist Transdniestria area, gripped by power and heating. cuts, said on Friday that gas reserves would be exhausted within. days and prompted the central federal government to end synthetic delays. and offer new products.
However Moldova's prime minister said the option could be. solved only if Russian gas manufacturer Gazprom resumed. shipments to Moldova, or if the pro-Russian separatist region. agreed to pay for gas secured on European markets.
Transdniestria, which split from Moldova as the Soviet Union. was collapsing, had actually long gotten Russian gas passing through. Ukraine, however authorities in Kyiv, secured a nearly three-year. war with Moscow, have refused to extend a transit arrangement.
The gas was likewise utilized to run a thermal plant that provided. the majority of the power in government-held locations of Moldova.
Transdniestria's self-styled president, Vadim Krasnoselsky,. said a number of his area's 350,000 citizens were falling ill or. dying from fires and carbon monoxide gas poisoning after attempting to. keep warm in winter conditions.
In a couple of days, the gas staying in the pipelines. will be gone. Without it, things will be very hard, he informed. Russian tv Rossiya-24, according to a summary of his. discuss the site of the region's parliament.
If the gas vanishes it will take two to three months to. get the heating going once again in property buildings.
The region, he stated, had actually accepted conditions from Moldova's. authorities, including buying more expensive European gas.
Five days have actually passed and we see absolutely nothing from Moldova but. incorrect allegations, he said. Moldova is synthetically dragging. everything out to press the humanitarian situation to the limit.
Krasnoselsky had earlier interested U.N. Secretary-General. Antonio Guterres and a number of world leaders, requesting for aid in. dealing with the energy crisis.
The region sustains four to 5 hours of power cuts daily. Hundreds of residents gathered at crossing points into. government-held areas, advising authorities to let the gas in.
Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean, in a address posted on. social networks, stated only his two proposed options could bring back. gas streams to the rebel region.
The Moldovan government desires the region to have gas, he. stated. However the Kremlin does not want to resume gas supplies. It. wants to produce dispute between people on the east bank of the. Dniester River and those on the other side.
Government officials said no payment had actually been received from. Transdniestria to cover gas purchases. Moldova has long been at. odds with Russia, denouncing Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and. implicating the Kremlin of attempting to unseat its government.
Gazprom has said it can not resume gas circulations to Moldova till. its authorities settle $709 million in arrears, a figure. disputed by the federal government.
(source: Reuters)